a Vanc

urned the brass lock, and slid down against t

p years ago in the drafts of this mountain fortress. Inside my ribs, whe

e looked hollowed out, her pale skin stark against the dark furniture. A Dragonless Queen. A decorative fixture to

unlocked the bottom drawer, and pulled out an old, w

rototype matrices that had given birth to the revolutionary Ignis Core. I had buried my

athetic

oices of two chambermaids drif

pale when she returned," t

agonless have no warmth in their blood. Lady Lyra is the one who t

were right about one thing: in a kingdom where dragonfire was

ive communication tool keyed into the palace's public aerial feeds, typically used to

d, and a live image reso

Sky Pavillion at the roost's highest peak-a dining

m, Lyra laughed softly, her crimson gown glowing in the warmth of the brazier. E

rfection by pure dragonfire. Its edges still crackled with faint golden

fe, effortlessly slicing off a tender piec

his voice holding an easy pati

o toast sweet mallows with flame sparks t

Kaelen watched her, then lifted a crystal goblet filled with spiced vintage wine that had been warmed over his own palm. He to

family. Whole. Co

ss surface of the scrying pool. T

. The image vanished, plungin

A strange, terrifying calm settled over my ch

f dragon-parchment-the resilient, treated hide used solely for bind

tter of grievance. I

rmal Declarati

, and magical ties between a royal spouse and the crown. Though traditional severance required both parties at the altar of t

formal draconic phrases of dissolution, relinq

the seal of the Dragon Queen us

lia

akos. That name had

t into a plain, uncrested manila envelo

s of the royal city below. Thousands of dragon-crystal lanterns bathed the

nto the quiet room. "Keep your t